Category: People

Born in Michigan on January 8, 1958, Betsy Prince was raised by parents who devoted their lives to philanthropic giving. Her dad, Edgar Prince, owned The Prince Corporations and her parents founded The Prince Foundation. When Betsy was a student at Calvin College she became interested in politics. After graduation she married her husband Dick DeVos, who shared her interests. Together they have supported improving the education for low income families both financially and through their hard work. In February of this year, after many years of advocating for educational reform, Betsy was elected U.S. Secretary of Education.

From campus politics to educational reform, Betsy DeVos has made great strides in pursuing her goals for better educational opportunities, and she and her husband have donated millions of dollars to promote educational choice, charter schools, scholarships and voucher programs in schools. In the 1990’s she was elected the Republican’s Committee Woman for the state of Michigan. She also chaired the All Children Matter Action Committee, and was the chairwoman for the Alliance for School Choice.

Because of the donations from the Dick and Betsy DeVos Family Foundation, many educational organizations have grown and prospered. Their philanthropic giving includes donations of millions of dollars to charter schools and Christian schools, the arts such as the JFK Center for Performing Arts, the Boy Scouts, many colleges and universities and charitable nonprofit agencies across America. The foundation has also supported churches, clean air groups, manufacturing, computer technology, and other companies in the U.S.

Dick DeVos’s father, Richard, co-founded Amway with Betsy’s husband Dick as the CEO. The DeVos family’s philanthropic giving has been a lifetime achievement of educational improvements, growth and change. Low income families can now afford to send their children to charter schools that they feels are best for their children because of scholarships from the Dick and Betsy DeVos Foundation. In Florida, Michigan and other states across the country, high quality education is now available. Charter schools offer a special kind of education to their students. High school student’s educational opportunities include learning job related skills to enable them to prepare them for career they will enjoy. They learn through a hands on approach and are offered opportunities that many public schools do not offer. There is greater importance placed on subjects such as reading, math, science and computers. Visit the website U.S. Department of Education to know more.

Earlier this year Betsy Devos’s attendance at the Parent Roundtable was beneficial to parent’s of children with special needs. Recognizing Autism Awareness, Betsy Devos emphasized the need for informational groups and tools needed to help support parent’s efforts regarding their children’s education. At a previous Philanthropy Roundtable interview, Betsy explained the need for more educational choices for children, especially those from low income families.

Hussain Sajwani is the founder and CEO of DAMAC Properties and lives a life full of hard work and dedication in Dubai with his 4 children and loving wife. He is a supporter of charitable causes and has donated large amounts of his money and personal time to causes that help children and refugees all over the world. One of the organizations he has supported is the Emirates Red Crescent, which is a group that helps deprived children all over the world who have been hit by harsh weather conditions. With donations of AED 2 million, Sajwani has helped clothe a million children and has given hope to so many more. His donation of $272,000 to the “Yemen We Care” campaign helped provide basic healthcare, relief, and education to millions of Yemeni refugees.

Hussain Sajwani has built the DAMAC Group up so that it now has 2,000 employees. His company has built over 17,900 homes, and the luxury golf course communities DAMAC builds are unparalleled offer people high-end, high-rise apartment building accommodations. The golf courses in these lovely properties are managed and maintained by Donald Trump and The Trump Organization and, in fact, his two sons Eric Trump and Donald Trump jr. were present as guests of Sajwani’s for the grand opening ceremony of the Trump International Golf Club Dubai at DAMAC Hills.

DAMAC Properties has won numerous awards, thanks to Hussain Sajwani family, and some of these include Best Residential High-Rise Development (Al Jawharah), Best Interior Design Apartment (DAMAC Residences), Best PR Company, Best Developer Website, Best Hotel Interior for Paramount Tower & Residences, Best Golf Course Development for the Tiger Woods Design golf course at AKOYA Oxygen, and Top Real Estate Companies in the Arab World 2016 – Forbes Middle East.

Hussain Sajwani received his Bachelor’s degree in industrial engineering and economics from the University of Washington, Seattle, and believes that education is the foundation on which success is built. He hopes that his children will follow in his footsteps and aspires to pass on his morals and ethical values to them. In his spare time he enjoys learning more about design and architecture.